Anti-narcotics police arrested a 32-year-old Italian woman at Athens International Airport over the weekend after discovering 18.5 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis concealed in her luggage, exposing what investigators believe is a sophisticated international trafficking operation.
The suspect had flown in from Bangkok via Doha and was intercepted by the Drug Enforcement Sub-directorate before boarding a connecting flight to Rhodes, where the drugs were destined for distribution. Her single black suitcase held 18 nylon packages of high-grade "skunk" cannabis — and nothing else. No clothing, no personal items.
Authorities suspect the arrest is linked to an Albanian-speaking trafficking syndicate that finances the operation and recruits couriers from across Europe to ferry narcotics out of Thailand, a country fast emerging alongside Spain as a major source of illicit cannabis bound for the continent.
To dodge European customs profiling, the network reportedly steers couriers away from direct flights, routing them instead through transit hubs such as Doha, London or Munich, and keeping luggage just under the 20-kilogram threshold to avoid scrutiny.
Investigators noted the courier's tickets were bought with cash in Albania — a detail matching the modus operandi of two Greek nationals, aged 19 and 23, arrested in late May at Zurich Airport while attempting to smuggle cannabis from Thailand to Athens.
The case adds to mounting evidence that Greek airports are being used as transit points in a wider European cannabis pipeline stretching from Southeast Asia.